Essay/Term paper: World war ii

Essay, term paper, research paper:  World War

On August 6, 1945 the atomic bomb was dropped on the

Japanese city of Hiroshima. The Enola Gay, piloted by

Colonel Tibbetts, was chosen to make the mission. The

mission was recorded as successful by Capt. William S.

Parson at 9:20 A.M. This was an extremely controversial

military strategy in the United States. Was the United States

justified in the dropping of the atomic bomb? Yes, they were

justified for many reasons. The primary reason was, that it

would stop the war. Why is it that this war needed to be

stopped so badly? Even though in some ways it was helping

our economy, it was very costly in both money and lives.

Also, the United States soldiers were undergoing harsh

treatment by the unmerciful Japanese. Another reason the

war needed to be stopped was to defend ourselves from

another attack on U.S. soil, which in turn would kill many of

our U.S. citizens. This is why the war needed to be stopped;

thus, justifying the use of the atomic bomb. World War II

was the costliest war in history, in terms of lives lost. No

exact figures exist, but approximately between 15 and 20

million military personnel were killed. Of these, 292,000

were Americans and 6,000 innocent United States citizens

were murdered by our enemies. It has been estimated that if

the United States had not dropped the bomb and had

invaded Japan instead, the United States would have lost

about a million soldiers. The Japanese suicidal fighting

strategies greatly effected this number. The Japanese would

rather die than surrender. This is demonstrated by the battle

of Saipan. At this battle over half of the population of Saipan

walked off a cliff instead of surrendering to the United

States. This was often very effective. Many times when a

Japanese soldier decided to blow himself up instead of

surrendering he would kill many Americans with the same

blast. Also the kamikaze techniques of the Japanese fighters

killed many soldiers. If this war would have continued we

could have lost thousands more. Also up to this point we

spent 300 billion dollars on war efforts. Many materials and

other objects were damaged. Any estimate on how much

money was lost in damages would be futile. This number

would have continued to rise if it had not been for the use of

the atomic bomb. The horrendous atrocities that occurred

during World War II were unmerciful as well as

unnecessary. During one invasion of China, the rape of

Nanking, the Japanese killed 100,000 Chinese civilians.

They were burned, butchered, and raped. Sometimes the

Japanese would tie a big group of them together and use

them for bayonet and sword practice. After the fall of

Bataan the soldiers were forced to go on a death march.

During this march many unheard of things happened to the

soldiers. A soldier was often killed for trying to get a drink of

water. If a soldier fell down the Japanese would either

bayonet them or knock them unconscious. Once they were

knocked unconscious, the Japanese then forced another

American soldier to bury the unconscious soldier alive. One

soldier once commented, "The worst time was once when a

burial victim with about six inches of earth over him suddenly

regained consciousness and clawed his way out until he was

almost sitting upright. Then I learned to what length a man

will go to hang onto his life. The bayonets began to prod me

in the side and I was forced to bash the soldier over the

head with the shovel and then finish burying him."(Kappler,

Pg. 168) This harsh treatment to innocent civilians and our

soldiers needed to stop. The atomic bomb was a way to

stop it. On December 7, 1941," A day that will live in

infamy," Pearl Harbor was deliberately attacked by the

Japanese. Reports indicate that 2400 people were killed and

1300 were wounded. The reason Japan bombed Pearl

Harbor was because that was where all of our Navy ships

were positioned. They were hoping to take out the Navy

and were almost successful. The aircraft carriers were

expected to be in the harbor, but luckily were not. Although

the attack may have been a military success in the minds of

the Japanese it became a huge mistake in the final analysis.

One reason it was a mistake was it caused the U.S. to enter

the war. We were the ultimate cause to Japan losing the war.

Secondly it made the Americans angry and determined to

destroy the Japanese. Many congressmen volunteered for

active duty, asking for a one day respite to cast their vote for

war. Also recruiting offices were flooded with young patriots

who wanted to help there country out. This attack was just

an example of what could have happened if the war had

continued. If the war had continued another attack on U.S.

soil could have taken place. This could have turned the

6,000 dead American civilians into 9,000 dead civilians.

That number could have kept rising until the war was over.

That is another reason the bomb needed to be dropped to

stop the war. The war was a horrible thing. It killed millions

and destroyed the lives of millions more. It lasted six years

and could have lasted longer; with death and destruction

increasing every year. Ending such a horrible thing should be

reason enough to drop the atomic bomb. The cruelty of the

Japanese at such places as Bataan and Nanking was horrible

and needed to be stopped. Although the atomic bomb

caused much death devastation it indirectly saved lives.

America made their power known by frightening other

European powers. This bombing has serviced to prohibit

future attacks on American soil. The atomic bomb was the

best solution. The atomic bomb may have killed thousands,

but it saved millions.